Provided by Nora Goldschlager, MD
Director, Coronary Care Unit, San Franciso General Hospital
Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

This list of questions is a good starting point for discussion with your doctor; however, it is not a comprehensive list.

1. What are the risk factors for coronary artery disease?
2. What causes a heart attack?
3. What's the role of stress?
4. Does alcohol cause heart attacks?
5. My cholesterol is normal - why should I take medicines to lower it even more?
6. What is angina and how do I know if I have it?
7. What sorts of symptoms should I be watching for?
8. How do they treat angina?
9. When should I suspect that I am having a heart attack?
10. When do I go to the emergency room?
11. What are the complications of having a heart attack and not getting early treatment?
12. What's an angiogram?
13. What's an angioplasty? What's a stent? Do these things work?
14. What's a 'clot-busting' drug?
15. What's a bypass procedure? How long does it take, how long do I have to stay in the hospital, and when can I go back to work?
16. Why do some people get recommended for bypass operations and others for the balloon procedure?